Trust in God

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28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The young man has a very valid question: What must I do to inherit eternal life? And the first answer of Jesus was obedience to the commandments. But the young man has done all that since childhood. And so, Jesus gave him a more personal, penetrating answer: Sell what you have and give to the poor, then, follow me.

Now, the question of the young man has been answered. Now, the young man knew what was necessary, what was needed to be done. But he went away sad for he had many possessions. The young man knew what was the right thing to do and did not do it. Why? For he did not trust Jesus enough. He trusted more his possessions; not the Lord.

I guess, in one way or another we are like the young man. We already know what to do. We know what is pleasing to the Lord. We know what is right, what is good. We have an inkling of what the Lord wants. We all know that we need to have faith, to serve, to help, to give, to share, to forgive. We all know we need to be honest, to be true, not to get what is not ours. We all know we need to turn away from sin, to overcome vices, to cast away pride, to conquer selfishness. 

We all know what to do. But, oftentimes, we don’t do it. Why? Because we rationalize; we justify. We say we are not ready. We say we still have time. We say God will understand. We say that it is not for me. 

But the bottom line is this: we do not do what we know we ought to do because like the young man in the gospel, we do not trust the Lord enough.

And so Jesus in the gospel today reminds us: “For human beings it is impossible, but nor for God. All things are possible for God.”

Do we trust him enough that when we say yes to him, he shall not abandon us? Do we trust him enough that when we surrender to him, he shall provide for us? Do we trust God enough?

Resurrection is for real.

The risen Christ appeared to his disciples many times.

Jesus wanted to assure his disciples that resurrection is for real. More than words, Jesus showed them his wounded hands, his wounded feet. Jesus showed them his pierced side. Jesus ate with them. Jesus wanted them to touch him, to touch his body scarred by the crucifixion. The risen Lord is the crucified Lord. Resurrection is more than news. It is not rumor. Resurrection is  for real.  Our God is a living God.

And so we ask ourselves:

How real is resurrection for us today? How do we see resurrection? Are we able to touch resurrection?

I know of a parish volunteer who lost both of her parents in a span of two years. While mourning for the loss of her parents, she was diagnosed with cancer. She had to undergo chemotherapy. And as if this is not enough, while undergoing chemo, their house got burned. What a tragedy? I could have understood her if she began to question God, to question her faith. I could have understood her if she asked for a leave in her parish work. Mag-lay low muna. Hindi muna magserve. Maglaan muna ng panahon para sa sarili.

But, no, I never heard her complain. I never heard her question God. She never stopped serving the parish, spending time in prayer and offering her time to help the needy. Every time I asked her how is everything she would always say: May awa ang Diyos, Father.

Resurrection is our refusal to give in to despair and hopelessness even when we are faced with burdens that seem too heavy to carry. Resurrection is our rejection of cynicism, negativity and bitterness even when illness, loss and separation beset us. Resurrection is our continued trust in goodness and grace even when things happen not according to our plans and expectations. Resurrection is our persistence to remain warm, kind and hospitable even when we have a just cause for hatred.

The living God is for real. Resurrection is for real. Look at your heart. Look at your life. Do you see resurrection?

We trust in the Lord.

2nd Sunday of Lent

As a priest, many people come to us seeking answers to their questions.

Questions that are difficult to answer.

A mother came to me once and said,

Father, I loved my husband and my children with all my heart.

Ibinigay ko naman lahat para sa kanila.

Why is it that after all the things I did,

my husband still left me for another woman?

A young man came to me and said,

Father, all my life, I have never given trouble to my parents.

Mabait naman ako. Hindi naman ako masamang tao. Masipag naman ako.

I have been working hard. Why am I not getting the break that I want?

A father once approached me and said,

Father, my wife and I did all we could to give our child a good education.

Hindi kami nagkulang sa patuturo, sa pagpapaalala, sa pangangaral.

Why is his life a mess now?

It seems we are losing him. Why?

Difficult questions.

And we are not alone in asking these questions.

Abraham, in the first reading today, I’m sure asked the same difficult questions.

Why would God ask that I sacrifice Isaac, my only son, his gift to me? Why?

The disciples of Jesus could have asked the same questions on Calvary.

If Jesus is the Messiah, the savior, why is he crucified on the cross?

If his mission is God-sent why does it seem that he is a failure?

We all have our questions in life.

And the gospel today does not give us a clear answer.

What the Lord gives us is an invitation.

“This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Open your heart to Jesus.

Believe in him.

Trust him.

Trust in the Lord.

Trust in his love.

St. Paul in the second reading reminds us that

If God can give up his only begotten Son for us

Will He not give everything else to us.

Kung hindi ipinagkait ng Diyos ang kanyang anak sa atin

Ipagkakait ba nang Diyos ang iba pang makabubuti sa aitn.

God is trustworthy.

We may not fully understand how.

We may not find all the answers to our questions.

But we listen to the Lord.

We open our hearts to him.

We trust in him.

No Dead End

Before them is the mighty sea, impossible to cross. Chasing them are the chariots and soldiers of Egypt, their former masters. After leaving their homes in Egypt, after taking only what is essential and leaving the rest, after enduring the pangs of hunger, the insecurity of the wilderness, the heat of the dessert, sustained only by the hope of the promised land, a land "of milk and honey", they come to what seemed to be a dead end. "Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us here to die in the dessert?"

Then, Moses raised his staff and with hand outstretched over the sea, the waters split in two, there was dry land, there was a way through the sea. It was never a dead end. God showed the way.

With God there can never be a dead end. There may be obstacles, blocks, detours, challenges and stops, but never a dead end. There will always be a way. God will always make a way.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The first reading and the gospel presents the image of a good shepherd as a way to understand how much Jesus loves us. The first reading states: “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord God. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal…”

Akala natin tayo ang naghahanap sa Diyos, pero sa totoo ang Diyos ang naghahanap sa atin. Hind ang Diyos ang nakakalimut. Hindi ang Diyos ang tumatalikod. Hindi ang Diyos ang nawawalan ng katapatan. Tayo po ang nakakalimot. Tayo po ang tumatalikod. Tayo po ang hindi nagiging tapat. Kaya sa totoo lang, hindi tayo ang naghahanap sa Diyos. Ang Diyos ang naghahanap sa atin.

The message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is quite simple: God is always there for us – ready to love, to forgive, to give another chance, to enlighten, to correct, to remind, to inspire, to strengthen, to heal. He is always there and he will always make his presence felt.

Sa araw na ito ng Kamahal-mahalang Puso ni Jesus maging lumalim nawa at tumibay ang pagtitiwala natin sa Diyos. Huwag po tayong magpatalo sa anumang sakit, karamdaman, problema o pagsubok. Patuloy po tayong magtiwala sa Diyos dahil nanjan siya at tayo’y kanyang hinahanap.

Trust and Patience

“Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened to you.”

These words of Jesus assure us that our God listens to our prayers. He is knowledgeable of our searching and that he awaits our knock on the door of his heart. Indeed, those who ask will receive. The gospel is definite about it. Those who seek will find for sure. Those who knocks will certainly discover that the door is open. This is one hundred percent sure. But, we are not told when; when will those who ask receive; when will those who seek find; when will those who knock get the door open for them. We are not told how many times should one ask before one receives. It does not say how long one should seek before one finds. There is nothing that says until when should one knock before the door is unlocked.

There is no doubt that God loves us unconditionally and that he will provide for us for He knows our needs and He knows what is best for us. This is the reason why we ask from Him; why we seek Him; why we knock at His door. He will provide. He will give. But we are asked to persevere for no one knows the time, the day, and the hour when His providence and grace will come – no one knows the moment when the good we are asking for will be given, when the illusive happiness we are looking shall be found, and when the tightly shut door will be finally open. Only with trustful patience can we continue to ask, to seek and to knock. Only with trust can one be truly patient.